Conakry, March 26, 2021
For Immediate Release
The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $8 million in assistance to help contain and end Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Guinea, and to strengthen Ebola preparedness in seven high-risk border countries across East Africa and West Africa (Côte D’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda). The additional $8 million brings total USAID assistance to more than $11.5 million since the outbreaks began in early February 2021.
USAID assistance is supporting disease surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory and diagnostics testing, and the establishment of Ebola treatment and transit centers; strengthening infection prevention and control in major health facilities, including hygiene promotion, triage and isolation; training of health care workers; and promoting risk communication and community engagement activities. USAID has also extended the work of humanitarian partners who participated in previous Ebola outbreaks in DRC.
The United States continues to coordinate response efforts with the Ministries of Health in DRC, Guinea, and neighboring countries, as well as local, regional and multilateral partners to ensure efforts are well-integrated and aligned with each country’s Ebola response plan. Since 2005, USAID has invested more than $1.5 billion to strengthen the capacities of partner countries to reduce the risk and impact of emerging infectious disease threats and outbreaks — investments that have made partner countries in Africa more prepared to cope with the current Ebola outbreaks. Containing and ending these Ebola Outbreaks remains a priority for the United States. Infectious disease outbreaks do not respect national boundaries and can spread rapidly jeopardizing the health, security, and prosperity of every country.